The 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship featured 21 Grand Prix, which at the time made it the longest championship in F1 history, beginning with the Australian Grand Prix on 20 March and concluding with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 27 November.
Season
The championship battle ultimately came down to the two drivers of the dominant Mercedes team. Nico Rosberg secured the first and only World Drivers’ Championship of his career in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. With nine race victories and seven additional podium finishes, Rosberg narrowly defeated his teammate and defending champion Lewis Hamilton by just five points. Rosberg’s success carried special historical significance, as it made him the second son of a Formula One World Champion to win the title, following the achievement of Damon Hill in 1996. Rosberg’s father, Keke Rosberg, had won the championship in 1982. Rosberg’s triumph also marked Mercedes’ third Drivers’ Championship victory in Formula One. Just days after clinching the title, Rosberg announced his retirement from the sport, bringing a sudden end to his Formula One career.
Behind the two Mercedes drivers, Daniel Ricciardo delivered a strong campaign for Red Bull Racing, finishing third in the Drivers’ Championship and establishing himself as one of the leading drivers of the season.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes continued its remarkable dominance during the hybrid era of Formula One. The team successfully defended its title for the second consecutive season, winning nineteen of the twenty-one races held during the year and finishing with a then-record 765 championship points. Mercedes ended the season 297 points ahead of Red Bull Racing, which secured second place, while Ferrari finished third, a further seventy points behind Red Bull.
The 2016 season also saw several important changes to the grid and the championship calendar. The entry list expanded to twenty-two cars with the arrival of the Haas F1 Team, marking the first new American-led team to enter Formula One in decades. At the same time, Renault returned to the sport as a full constructor after purchasing the struggling Lotus team ahead of the season, re-establishing its presence as a works team following a four-year absence.
The race calendar also evolved. The German Grand Prix returned to the schedule after its absence the previous year, while the European Grand Prix was revived and held on a brand-new street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan, featuring a dramatic, fast layout through the country’s capital.
In historical terms, the 2016 championship marked several notable milestones. As of 2026, Rosberg’s triumph remains the most recent Formula One World Championship won by a German driver. The season was also the final championship held under the leadership of Bernie Ecclestone, who had served as Chief Executive of the Formula One Group for nearly four decades. Ecclestone was removed from the role on 23 January 2017 following Liberty Media’s acquisition of Formula One from CVC Capital Partners.
The year also marked the final full season for 2009 World Champion Jenson Button, who stepped away from regular competition at the end of the year, though he would make one final appearance at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix. Additionally, Renault’s return as a works constructor represented the manufacturer’s first full factory involvement in Formula One for more than six years, signalling a renewed long-term commitment to the sport.
2016 F1 Entries drivers and teams
| Entrant | Constructor | Chassis | Power unit | No. | Race drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | SF16-H | Ferrari 061 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | All |
| 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | All | ||||
| Sahara Force India F1 Team | Force India-Mercedes | VJM09 | Mercedes PU106C Hybrid | 11 | Sergio Pérez | All |
| 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | All | ||||
| Haas F1 Team | Haas-Ferrari | VF-16 | Ferrari 061 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | All |
| 21 | Esteban Gutiérrez | All | ||||
| McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team | McLaren-Honda | MP4-31 | Honda RA616H | 14 | Fernando Alonso | 1, 3–21 |
| Stoffel Vandoorne | 2 | |||||
| 22 | Jenson Button | All | ||||
| Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes | F1 W07 Hybrid | Mercedes PU106C Hybrid | 6 | Nico Rosberg | All |
| 44 | Lewis Hamilton | All | ||||
| Manor Racing MRT | MRT-Mercedes | MRT05 | Mercedes PU106C Hybrid | 88 | Rio Haryanto | 1–12 |
| 31 | Esteban Ocon | 13–21 | ||||
| 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | All | ||||
| Red Bull Racing | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer | RB12 | TAG Heuer F1-2016 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | All |
| 26 | Daniil Kvyat | 1–4 | ||||
| 33 | Max Verstappen | 5–21 | ||||
| Renault Sport Formula One Team | Renault | R.S.16 | Renault R.E.16 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | All |
| 30 | Jolyon Palmer | All | ||||
| Sauber F1 Team | Sauber-Ferrari | C35 | Ferrari 061 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | All |
| 12 | Felipe Nasr | All | ||||
| Scuderia Toro Rosso | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | STR11 | Ferrari 060 | 33 | Max Verstappen | 1–4 |
| 26 | Daniil Kvyat | 5–21 | ||||
| 55 | Carlos Sainz | All | ||||
| 55 | Carlos Sainz | All | ||||
| Williams Martini Racing | Williams-Mercedes | FW38 | Mercedes PU106C Hybrid | 19 | Felipe Massa | All |
| 77 | Valtteri Bottas | All |
2016 Formula 1 Race Calendar
2016 Formula 1 Race Results
2016 Formula 1 Standings
Driver standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nico Rosberg | GER | Mercedes | 385 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes | 380 |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 256 |
| 4 | Sebastian Vettel | GER | Ferrari | 212 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | NED | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 204 |
| 6 | Kimi Räikkönen | FIN | Ferrari | 186 |
| 7 | Sergio Pérez | MEX | Force India Mercedes | 101 |
| 8 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Williams Mercedes | 85 |
| 9 | Nico Hülkenberg | GER | Force India Mercedes | 72 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | McLaren Honda | 54 |
| 11 | Felipe Massa | BRA | Williams Mercedes | 53 |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 46 |
| 13 | Romain Grosjean | FRA | Haas Ferrari | 29 |
| 14 | Daniil Kvyat | RUS | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 25 |
| 15 | Jenson Button | GBR | McLaren Honda | 21 |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen | DEN | Renault | 7 |
| 17 | Felipe Nasr | BRA | Sauber Ferrari | 2 |
| 18 | Jolyon Palmer | GBR | Renault | 1 |
| 19 | Pascal Wehrlein | GER | MRT Mercedes | 1 |
| 20 | Stoffel Vandoorne | BEL | McLaren Honda | 1 |
| 21 | Esteban Gutierrez | MEX | Haas Ferrari | 0 |
| 22 | Marcus Ericsson | SWE | Sauber Ferrari | 0 |
| 23 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | MRT Mercedes | 0 |
| 24 | Rio Haryanto | INA | MRT Mercedes | 0 |
Team standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 765 |
| 2 | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 468 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 398 |
| 4 | Force India Mercedes | 173 |
| 5 | Williams Mercedes | 138 |
| 6 | McLaren Honda | 76 |
| 7 | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 63 |
| 8 | Haas Ferrari | 29 |
| 9 | Renault | 8 |
| 10 | Sauber Ferrari | 2 |
| 11 | MRT Mercedes | 1 |
